Stock Indices

NASDAQ

NASDAQ Composite / NASDAQ 100

The index of the US market (NASDAQ) where many tech and growth companies are listed — with a large big-tech weight, it represents the tech-stock trend.

In plain terms

NASDAQ was originally the name of a US stock exchange, but the index made from the companies listed there is also called the NASDAQ. Many tech and growth firms like Apple, Nvidia, and Google are gathered there.

So you watch the NASDAQ for "how tech stocks did today." Tech stocks, with big expectations of future growth, tend to swing more sensitively to changes like rates.

What it tells you

The NASDAQ represents the mood of tech and growth stocks. With the S&P 500, it lets you tell whether a market rise was led by tech or was broad.

Tech stocks are valued by pulling distant future earnings forward and so are sensitive to rates. So in a rising-rate phase the NASDAQ often swings more than the S&P 500.

Formula

NASDAQ Composite = market-cap-weighted across all stocks listed on the NASDAQ market
NASDAQ 100 = the 100 largest among them excluding financials (a large tech weight)

What high or low means

The NASDAQ rising more than the S&P 500 is read as a phase where tech and growth stocks lead the market; lagging more, as a phase where money moves from tech elsewhere.

It is especially sensitive to changes in rates and growth expectations, so reading the macro environment together makes the NASDAQ's moves clear.

Caution

The NASDAQ is heavily skewed to a few giant tech firms. Those few stocks sway the index, so the NASDAQ can rise while other stocks within it struggle.

Being tech-centered, it tends to be volatile. Even in the same market, the NASDAQ tends to rise and fall more than the S&P 500.

Index quotes are market data. This term is background for understanding market news. (※ Our screen handles individual companies' SEC-filed financials.)

Metrics to read alongside

S&P 500 (S&P 500 Index)

If the S&P 500 is the whole US market, the NASDAQ is its tech/growth side. Comparing them shows whether tech is leading the market.

Interest Rate (Policy Rate)

Tech and growth stocks are sensitive to rates. When rates rise the NASDAQ is often pressed more, so reading it with rates reveals the backdrop of its moves.

See it in real stocks

Search US stocks on Stocklore to see NASDAQ and other financial metrics alongside the sector average.

AAPL Apple Inc.MSFT Microsoft Corporation NVDA NVIDIA Corporation AMZN Amazon.com, Inc.Search stocks →

Exactly how Stocklore computes this metric (formula, thresholds, SEC source) is on the methodology page.

This explanation is for information and reference only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Investment decisions and their consequences are your own.